Traveling Around With the New Me

I love the trail I found last fall near my house. After a rain I can see and hear this little creek that runs along a good part of the trail:

This is in the middle of the city of North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Of course my faithful partner, Ziva, enjoys our outings too!

She protects me from the vicious deer we often see:

Since I am firmly now entrenched in One-derland, my husband said I needed new photos for this blog.

"Wait a minute, let me fix my hair first!"

This is me, wearing my One-derland hat:

The 'newest' me, at 195 pounds:

I like the new me, a lot! I still see myself as obese though. I can hardly believe that woman I see in the mirror. Who the heck is she? That surly cannot be me? I liken this a little bit to anorexics. From what I understand, they look in the mirror and don't see their skeletal selves, but rather they see a very fat person. When I sit down, I see the bulge of my tummy and it looks the same to me as when I was at my heaviest. The photos don't lie though. I really AM changing and AM skinnier!

Perhaps this self image issue plays a deeper role in who we think we are. We might not see ourselves as being as obese as we were, when we were obese! Then, having lived a long time as obese, we know we are weighing less, but still feel obese. I wonder if that feeling will go away? I wonder...would we want it to go away? Would we let our guard down if we forgot where we came from and how we got there?

I realize this might be more of an issue for those who have lost their weight and not so much for those just starting out. I also want to point out that we should always remember just how much we have accomplished during each of our personal journeys into these new lifestyles. Instead of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" we are living "Lifestyles of the Thinner Person We Want to Be!" I don't think we should ever forget that.

Be proud of each pound lost. Be proud of each lifestyle change you make towards the new healthier human being you are becoming. Be proud of each accomplishment, both big and small. You ARE getting there! You WILL make it! You CAN do this!

TIP OF THE DAY:
Actually this is both a tip and a recipe, rolled into one! I had read about all kinds of methods to make overnight, crockpot oatmeal. I tried all kinds of recipes with several different crockpots and had little success. It always coagulated around the bottom edges, sticking like old fashioned wallpaper paste! It didn't taste good either.
Finally I combined making oatmeal in a crockpot with making my version of instant oatmeal for breakfast!

First off, there is very little difference in oatmeal, as far as nutrition is concerned. Steel cut vs. old fashioned rolled oats vs. quick oats, they all have almost the same nutritional values. Just be sure that the ingredients say oats or rolled oats on the box or can. There is no reason for anything else to be in there! Instant oatmeal is the worst offender as it has a lot of additives for flavors and such. Just stick with the basics.
I personally love steel cut oats and I like the Quaker brand more than the McCanns. Even though it is cheaper, it tasted nuttier. I haven't tried other brands yet, so I can only compare those two. So you can do this with whatever your favorite oatmeal is, both regular and steel cut.
Figure out how much water and oatmeal will fit into your crockpot. I can make ten servings in my crockpot. For my steel cut oats this means eight cups of water and two cups of steel cut oats. I did make 12 servings in my crockpot once but really had to be careful that it didn't boil over. This is what it looked like when it was done:
That could have turned into one sticky mess if I hadn't been watching it. I put all the water and oats in the crockpot on a day when I know I am going to be home for most of the day. I turn the crockpot on high and just keep checking it every hour or so. I stir it every time I check it too. This keeps it from sticking around the bottom. I've never kept track of how long this has taken in the past. It doesn't take long in my crockpot but it runs hot. I would guess it takes about four hours, give or take a few.

Once it is almost done to the consistency I like, I turn it off and let it cool for 30-60 minutes. It will thicken up, so if it is soupy, don't let that discourage you! I then take a one cup measuring cup and measure out one cup into each of the containers I have. (In this case I ended up with 12 servings) I let them cool a bit and then froze half of them and put the other half in the fridge.
In the morning I pop the corner of the lid and microwave the refrigerated oatmeal for a minute or two on high, or longer for frozen, stirring it about halfway through the cycle. (I had run out of containers and put three servings in baggies that I will warm up in a bowl)
Once warmed up, I dash on some cinnamon, a small container of Fage fat free yogurt (because that is my personal favorite), and cut up a banana on top. This makes a huge and filling breakfast that I eat right out of the containers. It is almost as easy as fixing instant oatmeal and has far more nutritional value and a lot of flavor that I put in there, not factory added chemicals. Total calories come in at just under 300 with 3 grams of fat.
You can personalize this to your heart's content with chopped dates, raisins, chopped apple, flavored yogurts or whatever you like best! Experiement with sweeteners too. You can try honey, agave, brown sugar, Splenda, maple syrup, jams, and more if you want to add a little sweetness.
It sure is a time saver and makes for a quick breakfast or you can even have it for lunch if you need something in a hurry.

QUOTE FOR TODAY:

Jim Rohn: "Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."

I hope you've enjoyed today's blog posting! The photo below is from my trail, a few weeks ago. The morning mist was billowing onto the pathway in front of me. Come on, follow me into the mists! Let's go for a walk!